Uganda Airlines cuts flight time to Burundi by seven hours
What you need to know:
- Mr Pacifique Musongera, the acting director general of Burundi Civil Aviation Authority, said Melchior Ndadaye, the only international airport in Burundi, named after the country’s former leader, handles 270,000 passengers per year out of a population of 11 million.
- The Uganda Airline’s commercial director, Ms Jennifer Bamuturaki, said the airline would fly to Bujumbura three times a week: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
At 4:30pm, amid cheers, an epic Kirundi dance and a water salute, Uganda Airlines Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraft touched down at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport in Burundi on Monday.
The 40-minute direct flight from Uganda to Burundi was the first of its kind, bringing to an end years of 8 hour-long flights to Uganda through other countries.
“I was here a few weeks ago and getting here was not that easy because there was no direct connection from Entebbe to Bujumbura.
My journey then took almost eight hours, but that is now history,” Uganda Airlines board chairperson Conwell Muleya said at the launch of the aircraft route in Burundi.
Bujumbura becomes Uganda Airlines fifth destination after Nairobi, Juba, Mogadishu and Dar es Salaam, which commenced a month ago.
The State Minister for Works and Transport, Gen Katumba Wamala, who led the delegation to Bujumbura, said the new route would increase Uganda’s footprint in Africa.
“We are proud and excited to add Bujumbura to our network and to offer both passenger and cargo services. This new route will play a vital role in the expansion of trade, tourism and investment between Uganda and Burundi,” he said.
Mr Pacifique Musongera, the acting director general of Burundi Civil Aviation Authority, said Melchior Ndadaye, the only international airport in Burundi, named after the country’s former leader, handles 270,000 passengers per year out of a population of 11 million.
The Uganda Airline’s commercial director, Ms Jennifer Bamuturaki, said the airline would fly to Bujumbura three times a week: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
